After Lin Yuhan accepted his defeat, Ning Fengzhi also conceded decisively, handing over the techniques he had mastered to Zhen Hua. "As expected of the disciples of His Excellency, we are utterly convinced of our loss. Previously, we were truly arrogant, not realizing that there exists someone who can inevitably become a Divine Craftsman. The geniuses of the Douluo Federation are truly endless, truly enviable."
Looking at the smile on Ning Fengzhi's face, the blacksmiths of the Blacksmith Association felt an urge to punch him in the face.
You've already lost, why are you smiling?
Zhen Hua raised an eyebrow slightly and said indifferently, "You are too modest, the forging techniques of Star Luo are also quite impressive."
This was not him being humble, but Lin Yuhan's performance was truly remarkable. If Gu Yuena hadn't been present during today's challenge, this girl from Star Luo might have actually won. Currently, among the younger generation of the Blacksmith Association, only Gu Yuena could possibly surpass her.
"Since the competition has ended, do you all still wish to stay and testify what follows?"
Zhen Hua speaks in a calm tone, clearly intending to send them off.
Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi did not move but instead said, "Your Excellency Zhen Hua, in fact, we have another matter to discuss. We would like to invite you and your disciples to participate in an exchange event to Star Luo Continent half a year from now."
What thick skin.
Everyone present, including Chang Gongyan and Lin Yuhan, thought the same.
With such an attitude earlier, and now inviting others to participate in an exchange event, how could Zhen Hua possibly agree?
Zhen Hua thought the same and was about to refuse without hesitation, as he had nothing to discuss with these "unwelcome guests." However, a subsequent message from Ning Fengzhi made him swallow the refusal that was already on the tip of his tongue.
"Besides the exchange event, I would also like to discuss something with Your Excellency regarding the attack you suffered a year and a half ago," Ning Fengzhi said with a serious expression.
"Star Luo has information about that attacker, and I hope Your Excellency will consider it carefully."
Zhen Hua frowned slightly, his gaze lingering on Ning Fengzhi's face for a moment, as if trying to discern his true intentions.
Due to his status as a Divine Craftsman, the attack on him had become a hot topic on the Soul Guidance Network for a period of time.
So, while he was somewhat surprised that Ning Fengzhi knew about this, he did not suspect any connection between him and the Holy Spirit Cult.
If the members of the Star Luo delegation were all part of the Holy Spirit Cult, then the Star Luo Federation would have long been thoroughly infiltrated by evil soul masters... No matter what, the Star Luo Federation is still a nation; it couldn't have fallen to such a degree, could it?
It's just that before today, the Star Luo delegation had no prior interaction with him, and suddenly bringing up the matter of evil soul masters inevitably made Zhen Hua feel puzzled.
'What exactly is Star Luo's goal? Wasn't their visit to the Federation meant to assess our strength?'
Zhen Hua pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the group behind Ning Fengzhi, finally resting on the other's composed expression.
"Fine. Follow me," Zhen Hua finally spoke, beckoning to Huo Yuhao and the three members of the Star Luo delegation, then turned and headed towards the elevator.
A hint of a smile flashed in Ning Fengzhi's eyes as he quickly followed Zhen Hua's steps. Lin Yuhan and the others exchanged glances, clearly surprised by the turn of events, but had no choice but to follow closely.
The group followed Zhen Hua to his office, where Ning Fengzhi left the other blacksmiths outside, not bringing anyone else in.
Zhen Hua gestured to the sofa, watching as everyone took their seats, then turned his gaze to Ning Fengzhi. "If you have something to say, feel free to speak openly here. Or do you need someone to step aside? Do you wish to speak with me alone?"
The fact that the other had left his own people outside suggested that what he wanted to discuss might be beyond his expectations.
Ning Fengzhi glanced at Huo Yuhao and the other two, then lightly shook his head. "No need. This time, His Majesty and the Speaker sent me to the Douluo Federation to seek cooperation in fighting the Holy Spirit Cult."
"When we reach Mingdu, we will also hold talks with the Federation Speaker, the Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda, and others. The three of you are important members of the Spirit Pagoda and are trusted. As long as you keep what you heard today to yourselves and do not spread it, that will suffice."
Xiong Jun frowned slightly, but seeing Gu Yuena nodded calmly, he said nothing and nodded in agreement.
"Very well. You just mentioned that you know who the person who attacked me is. What is this about?" Zhen Hua stared intently at Ning Fengzhi, his voice low. "Don't tell me the attacker has connections with your Star Luo!"
Ning Fengzhi showed a bitter smile. "You guessed correctly, the attacker does indeed have connections with our Star Luo."
With that, he took out a document folder and placed it on the table, but did not open it immediately. Instead, he stood up and gave a solemn bow.
"Before explaining, please allow me to apologize for my previous rudeness. It is very likely that there are spies from the Holy Spirit Cult within our Star Luo. If they were to detect our intention to cooperate with the Douluo Federation, it would inevitably alert them."
"Therefore, throughout this journey, I have maintained an arrogant attitude towards everything in the Douluo Federation, to demonstrate our Star Luo's stance towards the Federation. Only in this way would those lurking in the shadows believe that our visit had no intention of cooperating with the Douluo Federation. Resorting to this strategy was entirely due to the circumstances, and I hope you can understand."
Zhen Hua's gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over Ning Fengzhi's apologetic face. The air in the office seemed to solidify, even the sound of breathing became clear.
"Sit down," Zhen Hua finally spoke after a long while, pointing to the sofa opposite him, his gaze shifting to the door. "The others are unaware?"
He did not entirely believe Ning Fengzhi's words. While the cooperation might be genuine, the previous provocation and challenge might not have been entirely fake.
The two nations had long-standing grievances, and if they could humiliate each other in any field, neither side would let such an opportunity pass.
If they had lost, Ning Fengzhi might not have spoken in such a manner.
"That's correct, they are unaware. Only I in the entire delegation know about this matter. However, regarding the culprit who attacked Your Excellency, many in the delegation are aware of his situation."
Ning Fengzhi opened the document folder and took out a person's file. "The person who attacked Your Excellency Zhen Hua was this man, right?"
Huo Yuhao, Zhen Hua, and the others all looked over.
The paper had a photo attached, showing a man,
His appearance was truly intimidating. He was nearly two meters tall, with an unusually robust build, especially his thick arms, which were even thicker than an average adult's thighs. The exposed skin on his arms and face was covered with a layer of fine scales.
Next to the file was recorded the man's name: Tong Yu!
"He is the Qilin Douluo, originally our Star Luo Federation's Titled Douluo."
Ning Fengzhi sobbed. "But now, he is the Holy Spirit Cult's Dark Qilin!"
Dark Qilin?
Thinking back to the attack a year and a half ago, Zhen Hua narrowed his eyes.
A level 98 Super Douluo.
If it hadn't been for the presence of the Dark Phoenix Douluo, he might have lost his life. After all, although he was a four-word battle armor master, he was essentially a pure blacksmith, lacking in combat prowess, far inferior to those dedicated combat soul masters.
Without his battle armor, he might not even be a match for some Soul Douluo.
"So, this person was cultivated by your Star Luo?" Xiong Jun pointed at the file of the Qilin Douluo, his lips curling. "Is your Star Luo the headquarters of the evil soul masters?"
"Your Excellency Xiong Jun, you jest," Ning Fengzhi said. "His situation is somewhat special. He fell into the path of evil due to his own experiences. Evil soul masters exist everywhere; hasn't Shrek Academy also had them? We certainly do not wish for this."
At this point, Ning Fengzhi's eyes flickered as he shifted at Xiong Jun, selectively recounting Tong Yu's story.
When Tong Yu awakened his innate martial soul, it was a canine-type soul. His initial soul power level was only around level two.
Struggling with his diligence, limited by his talent, he failed to pass the graduation exam upon completing primary academy, not even reaching the two-ring level.
And the girl he liked abandoned him, choosing another "exemplary" classmate.
From then on, Tong Yu took an extreme path.
He chose to commit suicide by poison, directly swallowing a large dose of insecticide from his home. However, he not only did not die, but his martial soul evolved into a Qilin, and his cultivation speed skyrocketed.
However, his appearance also changed, with scales covering his body, making him look like a true monster in the eyes of others, even his family saw him like that.
Tong Yu's personality became even more eccentric and reclusive, until the Monster Academy found him, providing him with resources and fully cultivating him.
At the age of twenty-four, he reached the Titled Douluo level, and by thirty-two, he became a Super Douluo.
"Oh? That talent is quite impressive."
Xiong Jun was somewhat surprised.
Graduating from primary academy without reaching the two-ring level, yet becoming a Titled Douluo by twenty-four, in other words, Tong Yu spent over a decade transforming from a one-ring soul master to a nine-ring Titled Douluo.
"Yes, everyone had high hopes for him, including several of the higher-ups."
Ning Fengzhi's eyes showed a hint of something unusual, but it did not affect his words. "However, hatred had long taken deep root in his heart, and he could never forget the events that drove him to take such an extreme path."
"When he finally became a Super Douluo, he found the female classmate who had abandoned him. By then, she was married with children, living a peaceful life. However, Qilin Douluo brutally killed her in front of her child. After that, he became an evil soul master and disappeared without a trace."
This was Qilin Douluo's story as seen by the people of Star Luo, but as a member of the Holy Spirit Cult, Ning Fengzhi knew more inside information.
For example, Qilin Douluo killed that female classmate because she had broken Tong Yu's mother's legs and left her in the mountains.
Also, that female classmate had attempted to make amends, finding someone to save his mother. The Qilin Douluo did not intend to kill her, only severely injuring her, but did not make any further amends. Before anyone could come to her rescue, the female classmate died, and her young child witnessed the entire process...
And the cause of this incident was actually because Tong Yu was taken away by the Monster Academy without informing his mother. Tong Yu's mother, in her search for her missing son, sought out that female classmate, believing she might know Tong Yu's whereabouts, ultimately leading to the tragedy.
Well, how to put it, even in the eyes of Ning Fengzhi, a member of the Holy Spirit Cult, this series of events was quite hard to judge.
That female classmate saw Tong Yu as her "lapdog," ordering him around at will, and abandoned him after graduating from primary academy, never considering the consequences.
The Monster Academy took Tong Yu away without notifying his family, causing his mother to seek out that female classmate.
During Tong Yu's cultivation, he never thought of his family, not returning home for over a decade...
Before Tong Yu turned to the Holy Spirit Cult, they had not interfered in his experiences, nor did they need to. They simply investigated everything thoroughly and presented it to Qilin Douluo, who then fell into madness.
If they hadn't given him hope to live on, the Qilin Douluo would have definitely committed suicide at that time...
After listening to Ning Fengzhi's account, Zhen Hua's brow furrowed deeply.
Due to Ning Fengzhi's selective recounting, to Zhen Hua, the so-called Qilin Douluo was an evil soul master who had completely turned to the extreme due to an unsuccessful childhood romance. Moreover, he was a dangerously talented individual who could potentially reach the Limit Douluo level!
Compared to Zhen Hua's grave expression, Huo Yuhao, while inwardly marveling at the power of the God of Love on the Douluo Continent, looked towards Ning Fengzhi, who was about to deliver the final part of his speech.
This story had brought up a special individual, and if utilized properly, could completely draw the Spirit Pagoda into Star Luo's mess.
The person before they had come prepared.
Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered.
As he had thought, Ning Fengzhi continued, "After Qilin Douluo himself became an evil soul master, he soon joined the Holy Spirit Cult. And for various reasons, someone from Star Luo smuggled that motherless child, Tang Ziran, to the Douluo Federation…"
"You said what is the child's name?!"
Xiong Jun suddenly sprang up from his seat, his thick arms propped on the table, his eyes locked onto Ning Fengzhi like lightning.
Ning Fengzhi seemed startled but quickly composed himself. "Tang Ziran."
"Tang Ziran, Tang Ziran... Isn't that Wu Lin's father's name?"
Xiong Jun repeatedly mulled over the name, his expression changing as he looked towards Huo Yuhao, seeming seeking confirmation.
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao nodded slightly, sending a message, "Captain Guang Biao once investigated and found that Wu Lin's father came from the Star Luo Continent. Captain Guang Biao relayed this information to the East Sea Spirit Pagoda, and I saw it at Teacher Joyful Douluo's place."
Hearing this, Xiong Jun's expression became uncertain for a moment.
That kid Wu Lin's background is truly complicated; Having a god as his biological father is one thing, but his adoptive father's origin is also so bizarre.
As if discerning something from Xiong Jun's expression, Ning Fengzhi asked curiously, "Does Your Excellency Xiong Jun know of Tang Ziran's whereabouts?"
Xiong Jun snorted coldly. "Is that relevant to what you're about to say? Continue."
"Ah, alright."
Ning Fengzhi smiled awkwardly. "This is the full story of Qilin Douluo. From this, one can see his ruthless and inhumane nature, and his strength, as Zhen Hua has testified. Our Star Luo Federation is not as prosperous as the Douluo Federation, and a single Qilin Douluo is enough to give us a headache."
"However, according to our Star Luo's intelligence, the strongest in the Holy Spirit Cult is not him. Therefore, we intend to use this exchange event to cooperate with the Douluo Federation in a joint operation against the Holy Spirit Cult... We have intelligence on the Holy Spirit Cult's bases!"